Hunters or gardeners? Linking community structure and function of trap-associated microbes to the nutrient acquisition strategy of a carnivorous plant
2017
All higher eukaryotes live in a relationship with diverse microorganisms which colonize their
bodily surfaces; plants are no exception. However, we still lack a satisfactory understanding
of how these loosely associated microbiomes with immense diversity and functional potential
interact with their hosts or how these interactions shape processes within populations and
ecosystems. There is considerable similarity between microbial communities colonizing plant
surfaces such as roots, and those of the animal gut. This often overlooked parallel allows us to
look at microbial as well as host ecophysiology from a fresh perspective. The traps of
carnivorous plants are sophisticated digestive organs and interface environments between the
supply and the demand for nutrients. We selected the miniature ecosystem in the traps of
aquatic carnivorous Utricularia plants as our model system. By assessing the trap-associated
microbial community structure, diversity, function, as well as the nutrient recycling potential
of bacterivory, we gained insight into the nutrient acquisition strategies of the Utricularia
hosts. We conclude that trap ecophysiological function is in many aspects highly analogous to
that of the herbivore gut and centers around complex microbial consortia, which act
synergistically to convert complex organic matter, often of algal origin, into a source of
nutrients for the plants.
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